Earls Court has been the birthplace of many marine companies which are now famous around the world and this certainly applies to Sunseeker International.

For many of the exhibitors, the London Boat Show is one of the UK's highest profiles exhibitions and the most important marine industry event in the calendar.

It is therefore inevitable that a change next year is naturally being viewed with some uncertainty.

Every year the show gets better and better and the ability to expand has probably been one of the most important factors in the success of the London Boat Show. Accordingly, its success has enabled many companies who exhibit to develop their business and there is no doubt that it has helped the growth of the marine industry as a whole.

Without such events, we would all find it more difficult to reach such a significant number of international visitors.

Over the years there have been a number of developments at Earls Court which have contributed to the continued success of the show.

In 1991, Earls Court 2 opened. For the first time, this provided exclusive exhibition space for motorboats and additional accommodation for the event overall. I remember Sunseeker moving to a new position having established one of the first elevated exhibition stands in Earls Court 1 during the 1970s.

For me it all started back in 1965 when I exhibited a Cox & Haswell 21-footer built in Christchurch, Dorset. I continued to sell other makes of boat until we commenced building our own models in 1968.

Due to the "points system", we had to wait until 1970 to obtain our first stand which was positioned upstairs near the back of the hall where most of the chandlery and deck equipment is to be found nowadays.

Over the years, Earls Court has also lived through some dramatic and memorable times including a three-day working week, national electricity strikes, 25% VAT and a bomb scare!

Many of us will be a little sad to leave Earls Court after such a long and successful relationship. However I strongly believe that it is a move that is absolutely right for the industry.

Our business has changed and we need to attract new audiences to a fresh and exciting site near Docklands.

The new venue in 2004 will enable the London Boat Show to continue to grow and offer exhibitors and visitors alike more and more in the coming years. An impressive 90,000 square metres of indoor space and the ability to accommodate larger boats will enable the show to grow from this year's 59,000 square metres and allow for a wider variety of boats at future shows.

ExCeL's setting along the Royal Victoria Dock means that boats can be delivered with ease from the Thames, and exhibited in their natural environment using the dock as well as the exhibition halls.

With this in mind, I am entirely confident that we can all look forward to continued success for the London Boat Show at ExCeL.

By embracing the move to a new venue with confidence and by supporting the event in the same way as we have done for many years, the 50th London Boat Show will signal the beginning of a new era of prosperity for the leisure marine industry and prove to be a golden opportunity for us all.

The views expressed in The Personal Touch are not necessarily those of Boating Business